Bison safari

Traveling on the footsteps of the bisons

European bison is indeed the brother of the bison

The European Bison was facing extinction if not some passionate people, like those in the Nature Park Vânători Neamț, would not have fought as this animal to become again the treasure of Moldavian forests. Now, in order to see a true one-toned European Bison, you have to look for it through the protected area, helped by a ranger or, more easily, to notice it when it comes to eat in some arranged places. Bison Safari activity can be done with a 4×4 vehicle or by foot, observing specimens in their wild habitat.

The shortest route takes 2 hours and the difficulty is average. Of course, besides the meeting with the bisons, visitors can see other animals from the rich fauna of the Nature Park Vânători Neamț.

Foto: Felicia Aron

Vânători-Neamţ Nature Park is the first location in Romania where the bison was reintroduced, more than two centuries after its disappearance from the wild.

In order to reduce the adaptation period and to accustom the animals to the conditions of release, before being released, they were kept in an acclimatization enclosure located near the Visiting Center.

Safari

It is impressive not only for its surface of 180 hectares, but especially for the multitude of habitats encountered. Pure deciduous, coniferous or mixed forests, some of them with trees older than 200 years, are interrupted in some places by meadows or brooks. The different slopes and exposures fully contribute to the mosaic look, which is conducive to getting the bison accustomed to the conditions of freedom. For fifteen years, there have been no human interventions in the acclimatization area, nature being allowed to follow its natural course.

Foto: Felicia Aron

The presence of bison in this location is a unique opportunity for those who want to know the largest land mammal in Europe, at home. At the Visitor Center you will receive the necessary information to prepare for the unknown world of bison. Accompanied by a ranger of the Park, with field equipment, you will embark on the adventure of finding them in the acclimatization pen. The most part of the route overlaps with the paths used by bison in search of food, so you can see the traces left by this animal and, based on the explanations received, you will understand why the bison is an “architect” of landscapes.

On the route there are no less than 10 points of interest where the accompanying ranger will provide you with additional information about the fauna and flora of the place and the interdependence between them and bison. Keeping quiet is not only necessary to get as close as possible to the bison, but also to hear the “voice” of the forest, always differently.

Step by step, you will have the feeling of a return to ancient times, and the meeting with the bison, the culmination of this experience, will turn this opinion into a certainty.

Foto: Felicia Aron